Carnival time in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Port Blair, Jan 14 (UNI) The Andaman and Nicobar administration, together with the Army, NGOs and other small organisations, was gearing up for the annual carnival, comprising various exhibitions and gala functions at the local as well as international level.

Besides the grand Repubic Day celebrations on January 26, the islanders of the far-flung archipelago would witness the Island Tourism Festival, 2008, as well as regional level exhibitions at various remote scattered islands.

Another exhibition - the Coast Guard Mela - which ended yesterday also got favourable response from the islanders.

However, the main attraction at the carnival would be the musical shows in which renowned singers, including Hariharan and Aditya Narayan, would perform.

The ITF, an annual event, is scheduled to begin from January 16 at Port Blair.

While the Coast Guard Mela and ITF would be local level events, the Milan-08, the biennial conglomeration of the Asia Pacific Maritime Navies, would be an international level meet.

At the Milan-08, delegates from 13 nations, including Australia, New Zealand, Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Brunei, would meet at Port Blair from January 18-23 to boost the country's naval diplomacy and foster bonds of friendship across the seas.

''The Coast Guard Mela, which ended yesterday, was organised as part of the 31st anniversary celebrations of the Coast Guard,'' Inspector General of the Andaman and Nicobar region Coast Guard S P Sharma told UNI today.

UNI SKR DPM RN1535